Marketing Tactics

Footwear retailer hits Q4 goals, surpasses $1 billion in sales
Highly promotional activity and increased multichannel initiatives not only helped Shoe Carnival hit its expectations, but exceed $1 billion in net sales for the year. For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s net sales were $234.2 million, a 0.2% increase, compared to net sales of $233.7 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. While it was in line with its goals, this was just shy of Wall Street’s prediction for sales of $235 million.
Value teen retailer in aggressive store expansion
Five Below Inc. reported its 11th consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales results amid bullish growth plans for the current year. The value retailer, which targets tweens and teens with a wide array of goods all priced at $5 or below, said it will open 100 stores in 2017, including its first ever locations in the state of California. The chain opened 85 net new stores in 2016.

Sears Canada launches in-store off-price concept

Sears Canada Inc. is going all out with its plans for an in-store off-price shop. The chain will unveil the dedicated shop, called The Cut, this spring, and plans to roll it out to all its 94 stores. The off-price concept launched its own e-commerce website last week. The Cut will take up from 30,000 sq. ft. to 40,000 sq. ft. inside the stores and will be evenly split between apparel and home offerings, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
Lighting control rebates going strong

Lighting rebates hit a record of sorts in 2016. Commercial lighting rebates covered 79% of the United States, according to BriteSwitch, which is a record high since the rebate processing company began measuring rebate coverage nine years ago. The company cited several reasons for the historic high, including that many programs replenished their rebate funds in January. Also, some large programs that ran out of money years ago have come back such as FirstEnergy in Ohio and Duquesne Light in Pennsylvania.
Fine jeweler to launch discount model

The nation’s largest family-owned and operated retail jewelry chain is opening its first-ever outlet stores. Rogers & Hollands Jewelers will launch a discount store prototype, Rogers & Hollands Outlet, this April. Two Rogers & Hollands stores in the Chicago area, one at North Riverside Park Mall and one at Golf Mill Shopping Center, will be rebranded, remodeled and reopened under the new banner.
Westfield’s smart screens to serve up customized offers to mall shoppers

State-of-the-art digital screens that can identify demographic information of passersby and pitch them personalized offers from brands are making their way into Westfield malls in top DMAs. Employing a proprietary suite of technologies, the six-foot-tall, high-definition screens scan passersby and — apparently through smartphone data and facial imaging — determine their demographic profiles to serve them customized ads.
Commentary: Francesca’s will remain one of the winners in the fashion space

Håkon Helgesen, analyst at GlobalData Retail, comments on Francesca’s fourth quarter and full year results:
Apparel and accessories retailer Q4 sales, profit top Street

A move to a more fast-fashion model helped Francesca’s to outperform many of its peers in the fourth quarter, with sales and income that topped expectations. The retailer reported better-than-expected profit of $14.6 million, or 39 cents a share, for the quarter ended January 28, compared to $14.7 million profit, or 35 cents a share, in the year ago period.
How Can Retailers Thrive in Review-First Shopping?

Online reviews have boomed in recent years. Once just another step in the customer decision-making process, they are now a pervasive part of daily life.
Teen apparel retailer steps up its digital engagement ‘game’

Hollister & Co. is connecting with its shoppers through two of their favorite pastimes: mobility and video games. Through a partnership with Rovio Entertainment and TreSensa, the re-tailer debuted a mobile video game whose activation functionality func-tions as an ad that connects the brand with loyal and potential shoppers, according to AdAge.
Study: Consumers in rebellion against full prices

Shoppers are no longer willing to pay full price as deep discounts influence consumer behavior. That is one of the key findings of a new consumer report by First Insight, which found that widespread discounting by department stores and mass merchants is significantly influencing the expectations of discounts when consumers shop in other product categories.
Menswear retailer to focus on marketing, digital in 2017

Destination XL Group is slowing store growth to invest in e-commerce and enhanced marketing that includes a return to television advertising. The retailer of big and tall men’s clothing on Monday reported better-than-expected net income of $1.8 million for the quarter, after reporting a loss of $1.4 million in the year-ago period. Total sales for the quarter were reported as $122.6 million, down slightly from $124.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Same-store sales fell 2.4%.